Without limiting the scope of the invention, its background is described in connection with the use of metallo-salens and metallo-salen derivatives as potential therapeutic agents.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,122,537 issued to Malfroy-camine and Doctrow (2006) describes antioxidant cyclic salen-metal compounds. The '537 patent describes compositions of such antioxidant cyclic salen-metal compounds having superoxide activity, catalase activity and/or peroxidase activity and methods of using such antioxidant cyclic salen-metal compositions to treat or prevent a disease associated with cell or tissue damage produced by free radicals, such as superoxide.
United States Patent Application No. 20070142462 (Kennedy, 2007) discloses methods for treating cancer including administering a patient needing treatment a therapeutically effective amount of one or more antioxidants selected from the group of catalase, N-acetylcysteine, glutathione peroxidase, salen-transition metal complexes, dicumarol, and derivatives thereof.
United States Patent Application No. 20070275944 (Sharpe, 2007) relates to compounds and compositions to treat some neurodegenerative diseases. In some embodiments, the invention relates to an antioxidant comprising a selenium atom and nitroxide group. In further embodiments, the antioxidant comprises peroxidase and superoxide dismutase activity. In some embodiments, the antioxidants are effective in treating neurodegenerative diseases including, but not limited to, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, or multiple sclerosis. In additional embodiments, the invention relates to using compounds disclosed herein as free radical electromagnetic imaging agents.